Vanila

Vanilla is the fruit of a type of tropical orchid. It is harvested before it is fully ripe and then dried in the sun. The black vanilla pods are used to flavor ice cream, sauces and syrups. Vanilla sugar is often used when baking and if you use the pods to flavor syrup you can wash them when you are finished and use them again. 

If you are flavoring fluids or drinks cut the vanilla pod along its length with a sharp knife. Make sure you add 20-30 minutes preparation time to let the vanilla make its mark. If you need a more intense taste you can scrape out the insides of the open pod with the back of a knife. This vanilla pulp is perfect for ice cream, puddings or custard. 

TIP

For all dishes that require vanilla, vanilla sugar is also a great substitute. You can make it very easily. Scrape out the pulp as described above and mix it with two good cups of sugar. Place the stalk on top of the sugar inside an airtight container and seal it. After a week you can remove the stalk as the sugar will have extracted enough of the fragrance.